153: Chapter 153 Shipborne Intelligence

"The power source is handled; next is the generator itself."

Zhang Mingxuan shifted his gaze from the power module to the original design blueprints of the Xuanwu Generator, which were so dense they could trigger trypophobia.

It was a replica based on the individual system he wore. To save every bit of Spiritual Qi, DeepEye had designed an extremely complex sensing array based on its own computing power: fire control radar, spectrum analysis, adaptive transformation... It was like installing navigation on every single bullet on the battlefield; though ingenious, it was too fragile.

Once a sensing node was destroyed, or if computing power lagged under strong interference, vulnerabilities would appear in the defense.

Shen Weilan held the lingyan disk, staring with a tight frown at the complex logic circuits on the blueprint. "Fellow Daoist Zhang, this 'Adaptive Trigger System' is too complex. Just carving these detection runes used to identify attack types would take up sixty percent of the Magic Treasure's internal space. Moreover, such high-precision Formations wear out easily; post-war maintenance would be a nightmare."

"Then delete it."

Zhang Mingxuan picked up a Spiritual Qi pen and drew a large 'X' across the blueprint, wiping away all those complex detection, judgment, and transformation modules.

"Delete it?" Shen Weilan was stunned for a moment. "Then how will it defend? If it doesn't identify attack attributes, how will it switch to the counter-shield?"

"There's no need to switch." Zhang Mingxuan's voice was cold and hard as iron. "Our previous mindset was to 'save money,' using the minimum Spiritual Qi for the maximum defensive effect. But now..."

He pointed to the Five Elements Spiritual Root power pack that was undergoing a simulated run behind him.

"We have infinite energy."

"Since we can afford the burn, why dodge? Why change?"

Zhang Mingxuan drew a simple, crude circle in the center of the blueprint.

"Enable 'Always-on Mode.' Full power, full frequency, zero-blind-spot coverage."

"Whether it's fireballs, ice spikes, Flying Swords, or toxic gas—even space cracks—as long as they hit this force field, they'll all be pushed back by brute force. I don't need it to be smart; I just need it to be solid enough."

This was like upgrading from calculated 'reactive armor' directly to a 'solid steel plate' several meters thick.

Shen Weilan stared at that extremely simple circle, calculated for a moment, and then took a sharp breath.

"Furthermore, a simplified structure means extremely high stability. Without those delicate detection runes, even if half of this generator is blown away, as long as the energy circuits remain, the shield won't break."

"Understood."

Shen Weilan was also a decisive person and quickly grasped Zhang Mingxuan's logic. He operated the lingyan disk rapidly, simplifying the complex Formation map into the most basic and sturdiest Hunyuan Force Field Formation.

"As long as there's enough Spiritual Qi, I can make this turtle shell harder than the carapace of a ten-thousand-year-old Xuanwu. In fact..." A glint flashed in Shen Weilan's eyes. "We can add a layer of 'Repulsive Vibration' to the outer layer of the force field. With it always on, any object coming within three zhang of the Warship will not only be blocked but also shattered into powder."

"Approved."

Zhang Mingxuan put away the blueprints and turned to look at several engineering Puppets already waiting at the door.

"Send the blueprints to Ye Duan. Tell him I want him to use the most durable Materials—even scrap that has poor Qi conductivity but is hard enough is fine. Build a hundred sample generators like this first."

"Just having a shell and a shield isn't enough. For such a massive war machine, if we rely on a few hundred Disciples controlling the Formations by shouting commands, the enemy's Sword Qi will be in our faces before we can even turn."

Zhang Mingxuan pushed the Xuanwu Generator blueprints aside and tapped his finger on the Warship's core cabin.

"I want to give it a 'brain'."

Shen Weilan, still immersed in the Formation innovations brought by infinite energy, was startled. "A brain? You mean like Heizhang?"

"More complex than that."

Zhang Mingxuan pulled up a new architecture map, a miniaturized version based on the City of the Other Shore's heavenly calculation architecture.

"Below the Warship's bridge, set aside an independent quiet room. I want to install a small supercomputing array there. It doesn't need to be much—ten miniaturized rune crystal disks combined through a parallel array. As long as it can maintain basic tactical deductions and navigation control, it'll do."

"This will be the Warship's local brain."

Shen Weilan calculated the space and energy consumption. "With the previous reactor added, the ship's core area is almost full... Besides, the computing power of ten crystal disks is fine for handling navigation, but if a real fight breaks out, it might not be enough to handle complex tactical deductions while also controlling the trajectory guidance of the Light of World Destruction."

"That's why it's not isolated."

Zhang Mingxuan drew two dashed lines extending outward on the blueprint.

"The first line: when the Warship is docked in the Dongxu Daoist Field or within the base's signal coverage, it connects directly to the heavenly calculation main brain. At that point, it becomes a floating battery of the City of the Other Shore, enjoying the main brain's near-infinite computing support."

"The second line: when it flies out of Void Tempering and enters the Five Domains, it will automatically connect to the spirit network we've laid out. It will use the distributed network composed of those thousands of relay towers and tens of millions of lingyan disks to borrow cloud computing power. Although the latency is a bit higher, it's more than enough for handling strategic maneuvers on the large map. During wartime, the local main brain only needs to handle real-time tactical deductions, leaving everything else to the cloud network."

"Only in extreme cases, like deep in a forbidden zone where it's completely disconnected, will it rely entirely on the local supercomputer."

Zhang Mingxuan paused, his gaze cold.

"Furthermore, I will implant the complete sub-System logic of the heavenly calculation into its core."

This meant that even if everyone on the ship died, the Warship would still autonomously complete its mission based on preset strategic goals: patrolling, eliminating enemies, or... returning home automatically with a ship full of corpses and spoils of war.

"This isn't just a ship..." Shen Weilan looked at the design blueprint now filled with various Formations, his voice a bit dry. "This is clearly a... behemoth clad in iron armor."

"A behemoth is exactly what I want."

Zhang Mingxuan put away the blueprints and looked out the window at the busy construction site with a calm expression.

He turned toward the teleportation Formation and said, "The blueprints are set, so don't dawdle. Tell Ye Duan that I don't want any hitches in his part of the process."

The Formation light flashed, and Zhang Mingxuan vanished, leaving Shen Weilan alone to face the pile of complex blueprints that would make a Formation Grandmaster vomit blood from calculating, yet his eyes burned with unprecedented fighting spirit.

Deep underground, the Warship's keel had already begun to take shape, silently waiting for the moment its Soul would be injected.